Round Island

Round Island is a small private island in the south-west of Poole Harbour, Dorset, just off the Arne peninsula and separated from Long Island by a channel only a few feet wide.

Landscape

The island covers about 15 acres of grassy paddocks and woodland. Across the water lies the RSPB’s Arne reserve, one of the best places in Dorset for wildlife. Poole Harbour is one of the largest natural harbours in the world, a shallow, island-studded basin of mudflats, saltmarsh and heath, protected as a Special Protection Area and Ramsar site for its birds.

More about Round Island

Round Island lies in the civil parish of Corfe Castle. With Long Island, it is one of the quieter western islands of the harbour, away from the busier waters around Poole and Brownsea.

With Long Island, it is one of the quieter western islands of the harbour, away from the busier waters around Poole and Brownsea.

Visiting

Round Island is private and there is no public access. It can be seen from Arne and from boats in the harbour. You can collect Round Island as a sighting in your Island Passport.

Wildlife and area

Poole Harbour is famous for its wintering black-tailed godwits, curlews and little egrets, with shelducks and brent geese in winter, and the harbour’s islands are among the last refuges of the red squirrel in southern England. Nearby islands include Long Island, Green Island and Furzey Island.